Current guidelines for mild traumatic brain injury (e.g., concussion) recovery are unclear and minimal. Health professionals may recommend avoiding stimuli by avoiding bright lights. There is no current method or prescription to improve recovery times of concussion patients.
During the recovery process, concussion patients find themselves unable to do many tasks that were previously part of their daily life. Health professionals largely advise patients with concussions, especially those exhibiting photophobia, to avoid looking at liquid crystal display (LCD) screens, since these particular screens may exacerbate symptoms and thereby interfere with the recovery process (Amy, 2013; Tator, 2013). However, computers with LCD screens are a widely used platform for daily communication and are often a required technology in work-places; hence, finding ways to improve computer tolerance in this population will not only prevent social isolation and associated depression, but may facilitate earlier return-to-work in workplaces that require computer use.
LCD computer screens refresh (or flicker) at a rate of 60 times per second. This is tolerable for a healthy individual, but an individual who has had a concussion and suffers from photosensitivity, a common symptom, has a lower critical flicker frequency (CFF) tolerance when compared to those who do not suffer from photosensitivity (Chang et al., 2007; Schrupp et al., 2009). The backlighting typical of an LCD screen may also stress individuals who experience photosensitivity and can cause cognitive fatigue, headache, and eye fatigue (Barnett et al., 2015). Flashing and motion can make individuals recovering from a concussion nauseated and can delay their recovery (Patel et al., 2011).